Ignacy Giżyński
Samsung does not give up on its plans to revolutionize movie theaters. During this year's CinemaCon in Las Vegas, the company presented the latest version of the Samsung Onyx LED screen, a technology that could send classic projectors into obsolescence.
Instead of a lamp and lens – a modular LED screen with a diagonal of up to 20 meters. No canvas, no faded colors, and no problems with brightness. Onyx is simply a gigantic LED television that can be mounted on an entire wall of the room. Sounds futuristic? Sure. But this technology has been around for a few years – Samsung began the first tests of Onyx back in 2017, only now it shows its latest generation – much brighter, more flexible, and ready for HDR and 120 frames per second.
300 nits of brightness and true black
The new Onyx screen can achieve up to 300 nits of peak brightness, nearly three times more than, for example, Dolby Cinema (108 nits). In comparison, classic cinema projectors often do not even reach half of this value. This translates to better visibility of details, brighter scenes, and stronger HDR effects—something that simply cannot be achieved on a classic cinema screen. The Onyx technology is based on true LED modules, not LCD technology—which means that each point shines independently, providing full control over contrast; true black here looks like black from a good OLED, not a grayish shadow on a projection screen.
Modularity and Flexibility
The new version of Onyx will be available in four standard sizes: 5, 10, 14, and 20 meters wide – but due to its modular design, it can be easily adapted to specific room dimensions. There are various aspect ratios to choose from (2.39:1 and 1.85:1), different pixel densities (from 1.25 mm to 5 mm), and the option for installation even in smaller, boutique cinemas.
Cinema without a projector – does it make sense?
Although the technology looks impressive, it's worth noting that so far very few films utilize higher frames per second that Samsung promotes (up to 120 fps). Even large productions like Avatar: The Way of Water were displayed at a maximum of 48 fps. Meanwhile, most films are still made in the classic 24 fps – so the potential of the new Onyx will not always be fully utilized. Nevertheless, interest is growing. Pixar plans to show its upcoming film Elio precisely on Onyx screens in HDR version, praising the technology for color depth and detail that could not be achieved in cinemas before.
And for a snack... paper screens?
At CinemaCon, Samsung also showed something less spectacular but quite practical – colorful E-Paper screens that are meant to replace classic paper posters, signs, and banners in cinemas. They are thin, lightweight, energy-efficient and – interestingly – can be updated remotely. We have written about them before, and now they have actually made their way to Samsung's booth in the form of signs with the cinema schedule and… advertisements for popcorn. It may be a small thing, but it shows that the manufacturer thinks not only about the cinema hall but also about the entire experience surrounding the screening.
The first auditorium with the new Onyx screen will debut this fall in Arizona – at the Cannon Beach complex (LVL 11 Entertainment). For now, there is no information about plans to implement this technology in Europe, but if the new generation is accepted, it could be the beginning of larger changes in the entire cinema industry.
